Sunday, June 19, 2016

Antara Restaurant @ Raja Chulan

Chef Isadora Chai's second restaurant isn't what some might expect. Five years after first bringing modern French flair to PJ with Bistro a Table, Isadora has stretched out into the city centre, taking up two floors of a nearly century-old restored building on Raja Chulan. Antara Restaurant is an exquisite space with profoundly personal touches - its terrace & walkway remind Isadora of her late father's home in Teluk Anson, & her selection of furnishing & a batik-print menu was carefully considered, culminating in a one-of-a-kind centrepiece upstairs of 50 portraits of Tunku Abdul Rahman that reward close contemplation. But while Antara's charm & character seem decidedly steeped in nostalgia, with Saloma & Sheila Majid echoing through the halls, it nonetheless stirs to life as a fresh, vital venue, turning the past into prelude for a restaurant that speaks to the present.

Expect a culinary tapestry of traditional Malaysian, woven with whiffs of French, mirroring the fare that Isadora makes at home for family & friends. Commence with a communal feast of plump popiah that you'll roll yourself at the table, evoking the spirit of preparing & eating food in your grandparents' kitchen. This popiah party (RM48) features a top-flight wrapping skin, fillings & condiments, from French beans with dried scallops to the juiciest jicama & the crunchiest croutons - elaborately fun & fulfilling.

Many recipes in Antara's oeuvre reflect a respect for time-honoured local flavours, artfully balancing the generations-old heritage of Malaysian cuisine with modern gastronomy's ever-expanding palette. Sarawak laksa is crowned with marron for a princely flourish (RM78), while retaining the robust dynamics & dimensions of a Kuching-proud rendition, bolstered by belacan brought into KL from Sarawak. That same belacan packs a punch in some other Antara offerings, including assam chicken wings (RM25) & a deluxe Mee Siam with supremely substantial chunks of delectable, crispy-tender soft-shell crab (RM36).

For customers craving the unconventional chow that has become Isadora's hallmark, it's all here too - delicate pie tee with shaved foie gras & anago (RM27), mantao with luscious foie gras & mango chutney (RM55), toasted chapati with goat's curd & an addictive curried mussel cream (RM22), alongside desserts like hazelnut roti jala with dulce de leche anglaise (RM25) & a 'terribly alcoholic' creme de menthe cendol with kahlua sago pearls that harks back to one of Bistro a Table's degustation dinners three years ago (RM36). This is a risk-taking menu, free of MSG & easy shortcuts, executed with no-nonsense craftsmanship by sterling teams that toil effectively both by the table & behind the scenes to deliver a memorable experience.

Antara Restaurant

Old Malaya, Jalan Raja Chulan, Kuala Lumpur.

Currently open for dinner, Mon-Sat. Will open for lunch & dinner daily eventually. Tel: 03-2078-8881

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17 comments:

Antara apa? Anyir dan Jakarta, Sheila Majid? LOL!!! Those activists wouldn't be too happy with this place...and me, being old and old fashioned - I think I'd rather stick to my nyonya style pai tee. The case looks really good, I must say, very well made - thin, must be really crispy.

Suituapui: heh, the name more of describes the cuisine - in between malaysian & french, but leaning heavily more toward malaysian :) the pie tee shell does feel like it has that traditional light airy crisp, you're right! :D

Leo: i think the ingredients and other factors necessitate the prices ... that's a whole crayfish in that sarawak laksa, for example, and four very large chunks of really good-quality soft-shell crab in that mee siam :)

What a waste of an evening with some very close friends...found the food preparation to be so passé and pretentious...corkage of rm50 p bottle and only to be served with poor stemware!! Left in a hurry,adjourned to somewhere else...what I found more unpleasant than the food,was to be told by the waiting staff was that the restaurant is owned by a celebrity chef...even after dining at many rated places(including El Buli,twice),never have I ever experienced anything like it..Enough!

Thanks for the introduction eatdrinkkl. I had a great steak and my wife has a fantastic pasta dish. Heard the cny yee sang was good and it really was yummy. We also had starter and dessert. Haven't tried the rest yet, but looking forward to try the rest very soon.